Grab your broomstick and ruby slippers because we’re headed to the merry old land of Oz!
My parents were both involved in our local theatre community and I grew up listening to show tunes. One of my all-time favorite musicals is Wicked, which is a remixed version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. While the iconic Judy Garland flick follows the story from Dorothy’s perspective, Wicked allows Elphaba, known as the Wicked Witch of the West, to give us her take.
The musical is based on Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The book itself is complex, wonderfully written, and shows the land of Oz in a whole new light. I would highly recommend reading it if you’re a fan of the musical!
Over the years, several Broadway hits have been adapted for film. Musicals like Into the Woods, Chicago, The Producers, The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story and (much to my chagrin) Cats have all been given the chance to shine on the silver screen. As reported by SyFy Wire, even though Wicked has won numerous awards, been seen by over 60 million people around the world, and is one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, it has taken years for a film adaptation to come together.
Hollywood has been trying to make a Wicked movie for almost 20 years
A film version of Wicked has been in development since 2004. However, news about the Wicked movie has been sparse over the years, with lots of stops and starts. Stephen Daldry has been on board to direct since 2012 but dropped out last year due to scheduling conflicts.
But now, according to Deadline, the Wicked movie is expected to be helmed by Jon M. Chu, director of Crazy Rich Asians as well as the upcoming Lin-Manual Miranda musical In The Heights. Hopefully, this announcement means that production is actually underway. I’d like to see a Wicked movie sometime in the next decade!
I saw the original Broadway cast perform in 2003, making me about four or five years old. To this day, that performance was the most enthralling that I have ever seen on a Broadway stage. I can still recall in vivid detail the image of Idina Menzel rising above the crowd as she belted those all-too-familiar final notes of “Defying Gravity.”
My mom’s college roommate worked on Broadway for years and he was actually Idina Menzel’s hairdresser during her tenure as Elphaba. As such, my mother and I were allowed backstage after the performance to meet some of the actors. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet Idina (we were told she was still in the process of getting green paint out of her ears) but I did have the pleasure of meeting Joel Grey (who originated the role of the Wizard of Oz), Taye Diggs (Fiyero), and Kristin Chenoweth (who originated the role of Galinda). Fun fact for all of you Wicked fans out there: Kristin Chenoweth’s dressing room was decorated entirely in shades of pink. Galinda would have been proud!
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